Meet Esther R. Valdes, who is one of two candidates running for the singular short term position on the Coronado Unified School District’s school board. (The other candidate for the short term position is Molly Louise Zohn.)
Esther was born and raised in San Diego. She attended public schools here in San Diego County, and graduated from Chula Vista High School before earning her bachelors degree at UCSD, where she graduated with honors. From there she was accepted to UC Berkeley School of Law. Esther is extremely proud of the fact that she is a product of public education all the way from her high school and undergraduate studies through her graduate studies.
Esther is currently a practicing attorney who runs her own law firm. She’s the principal attorney at Valdes and Associates. “We focus on immigration, employment, and labor law issues,” she says of her law firm.
In 2012 Esther and her daughter Paulina Valdes moved to Coronado. Paulina graduated from Coronado High School in 2015, attending CHS from her sophomore through senior years. Paulina is currently a sophomore at University of Redlands. The proud mom shares, “Hopefully she’ll be graduating a year early because of all of the A.P. (Advanced Placement) classes she took. Good for her, and good for her high school teachers, who really pushed her!”
While not an official member of any community organizations here in Coronado, Esther participates informally in many of the activities that Coronado has to offer, including regularly attending Sunday concerts in the park and joining friends and family on the “island.”
Why do you want to be a member of the Coronado Unified School District School Board?
“I think I have the best experience, both professionally and personally. I’ve worked with the San Diego County Office of Education in the past. I’ve been a pro bono attorney since 2010. I serve as a consultant on immigration and employment matters for the Oceanside, Vista, Fallbrook, Escondido, and San Ysidro school districts as well as the San Diego school district.”
“I come from a family of teachers. My sister is a teacher as well as another family member, who’s also a teacher. My sister graduated from Harvard from the School of Education. So I have a strong commitment to the children.”
“Also having moved here to Coronado is a dream come true. I’m from a low-income background. I was not raised in wealth, but I always knew, being a San Diego native, that the best schools in the area by far were in Coronado. Being a resident here is a dream come true. I have a commitment but also gratitude.”
“As a single parent, I raised my daughter by myself. I knew that while I was at work I had to depend on her educators as well as her friends and her friends’ parents to educate my daughter. I firmly believe in what Hillary Clinton wrote a couple of decades ago, It Takes a Village. I’m in a great debt to teachers such as Mr. Hoang, Mr. Lemei, Mr. Heaphy, and all of her A.P. teachers who educated her, but also instructed her. I think the best of their characters was also infused into my daughter.”
“Apart from that (that’s my personal obligation), but also on a professional level, I have the training. I’ve worked with school districts as a litigator in representing teachers fighting for their rights with the school boards under collective bargaining agreements. I’ve represented schools, educators, and also aggrieved parents. So I know both sides. Being a parent myself, I know what parents want; they want the best education with the best resources. But as a small business owner I also know that it comes to allocation of funds; you’ve got to make the tough calls. You’ve got to be fiscally prudent, you’ve got to be accountable, and you have to be a person of integrity.”
“I have various reasons, but most of all, just gratitude for this community. I want to definitely give back!”
What strengths do you possess that you feel will make you an effective school board member?
“Many strengths. I’ve worked with the San Diego County Office of Education since 2010. I’m trusted as a consultant, as a guidance counselor for a lot of the youth; I serve on a lot of their youth school boards. I’ve given numerous presentations [and] I will be giving another presentation on Tuesday. I’m trusted by a lot of the officials at the County Office of Education because of the integrity, the trust, and the know-how as well.”
“As an attorney, I have represented teachers who have been aggrieved as employees of the school district. I’ve also met with a lot of the school districts to know what the risks and the challenges are in allocating certain funds. As a parent, I also know what parents need and want.”
“Also I love young people. I talk to young people all day long. In fact one of my former clients who I represented as a young person, now works with me as an intern. I know what they want and what they expect. They want to feel safe. They want to know that they’re valued. They want to know that their educators are present and in the moment with them, offering them the best advice and counseling. School is a home away from home. A lot of our students need the counseling background, and I’m committed to being able to allocate resources for that as well.”
“In my candidate statement I stated that I believe I am the best qualified candidate professionally and personally. I think I have the leadership to motivate and inspire our community to give the best and to do the best. Moreover, as a single parent I’m acquainted with challenges. I know how to make the tough calls, and I know tough times are coming to the school district. With the lessening in resources, I know that we’re going to have to make tough choices, especially if certain propositions aren’t passed that will free up more funding. We’re going to have to make tough cuts, and I’m a very empathetic and compassionate listener, but also a leader. I’m going to listen to all of the stakeholders in knowing what interests them, what worries them, and what their anxieties are. But coming from a family of educators, keeping the community at the forefront, keeping the students at the forefront, and never relegating their education. That’s what we’re here for, and that’s why I moved here.”
What changes, if any, are you hoping to bring about as a school board member?
“Many changes! I believe the current school board is doing a fine job. I think they’re communicating effectively. I think they’re doing an excellent job keeping our schools safe as well as restructuring. But also in the near future we’re going to have to make some tough financial calls, and I’m ready to do that. Professionally as an attorney, I’m able to assess risk. As a small business owner, I know how to run a good business, how to not go in debt. I will be attending one of the workshops held by the California Taxpayers Association on how to effectively run a school board without running into debt, being able to accurately balance a budget as well.”
“I feel that I have a lot to contribute, and I’m also interested in having all of the voices heard, bringing that to the table. At the forefront, the most important, are our students and our teachers. They are there day in, day out. They know the challenges. They know the fights that we’re going to address in the near future. My heart is with the future leaders, with the students.”
“I firmly believe just from dealing with my daughter’s friends that the best and the brightest of San Diego County are here, and I think it’s not by chance that they’re all congregated here in Coronado Unified. Many parents such as myself, we fought to get here through resources, through moving, through making it happen because of the schools. It [CUSD] is the gem of the island. It truly is!”
What changes, if any, do you feel need to be made to the way special education services are provided in the district?
“I believe that is representative of the parents. The parents and the students know what is best. Obviously there needs to be greater resources, also greater access to those resources. We need to better equip our teachers; give them the workshops and the emotional support that they need, make them feel that they’re necessary and vital. It’s not just some appendage; it’s not optional to provide these resources for our disabled or differently-abled students. It helps them grow and learn, and provide that great learning environment. I believe those changes need to be met with judiciousness and also with reality on what our resources will provide for them. It’s a fine balance.”
Tell me your thoughts about Common Core. In your opinion, what are the advantages and/or disadvantages of Common Core?
“That’s a two-fold question. The advantages across the board to our nation and also to our county is that the lower-learning or the more challenging aspects of our educational geographic system are coming to par with the students who have more advantages, the students who are already learning at capacity. The second part of that is knowing the community we live in. Most of the [Coronado] parents have a high level of education, a high level of interests. For us to meet the Common Core values and standards, it isn’t particularly challenging, but what is challenging is the onerous demands on our teachers; having to constantly meet these standards that may or may not be applicable to the classroom and to the particular community.”
“My sister is currently employed at the Migrant Education Program through the San Diego County Office of Education, and I have a sister who’s a teacher in elementary school so I know what it’s like. I know the burden. I know how financially her salary doesn’t necessarily meet all of the requirements, how she has to dip into her pockets to make ends meet. I also understand from an administrative point of view, that my other sister brings to the table, the fact that some students are hurting.”
“This is a good nationwide implementation; however, can we fight back at this point? Can we rescind that? That’s almost a moot point at this point. It’s completely moot. It’s a matter of prioritizing and also equipping our teachers as well as educating the community about what can and can’t happen at this point.”
